It’s important for UP staff to be vigilant about securing their digital information to avoid fraudsters getting hold of it. Here are some simple ways to avoid your information being compromised.

We often think, “It won’t happen to me.” Then, in a moment of exhaustion or pressure, you click that link, and an unexpected message appears: “All your files are encrypted. To recover your files, follow these three steps.” And just like that, you’ve become a victim of ransomware.

An event like this is not unlikely, neither is your laptop or mobile phone being stolen, nor the technical failure of your computer’s hard disk. In all these scenarios, you stand to lose all the information stored on your device, including personal information.

The following guidelines for UP staff should be adopted to ensure that the privacy and confidentiality of information is protected:

• Remote work: A laptop or computer should be logged off or shut down when unattended.
• Public Wi-Fi: When you’re not using a device, turn off the Wi-Fi and use Bluetooth connectivity only when required; also avoid sending or opening secure data when using a public Wi-Fi network.
• Keep your items on you: UP electronic devices should not be left unattended.
• Be cautious with USBs: Never use a USB device unless it has been cleared by your company’s IT team, and ensure that no one plugs a USB device into your computer.
• Create complex passwords: Passwords should consist of sentences or difficult-to-identify sequences of numbers and words; they should not be shared.
• Be aware of phishing emails: Software updates that are triggered from a website or email should not be accepted.
• Switch on “Find My Device” mode: This can help you to locate a device if you misplace it or if it is stolen.
• Loss or theft of personal information should be reported without delay to your immediate manager, the UP Information Governance Office and UP’s ITS department.
• If your information is compromised, back-ups may be the only way to rebuild your digital life. Always have a back-up strategy that suits your personal needs and situation. Consider:
• What to back up: Options include data that would be difficult to replace, such as documents, contacts, messages, chats, photos, videos, apps and/or your operating system. If you’re unsure, back up everything.
• How often to back up: Continuously, daily, weekly, monthly or some other period. The right option depends on what you consider the longest time over which a loss will still be manageable.
• Where to back up: In the cloud or on a local hard drive. Google Drive is dedicated to work documents and OneDrive is dedicated to personal documents. Having both a local back-up and one in the cloud is recommended.
• How to back up: There are various options. Use the storage options on your PC to back up institutional information.
• One last step: From time to time, test whether you can recover items from your back-up to ensure the process is functioning properly.
• Note to UP staff: Content on your work computers is not backed up by ITS. You have to do this yourself.